AthlonSports.com - Big Easthttp://athlonsports.com/category/cbk-conferences/big-east
enCollege Basketball 2014-15: Xavier Musketeers Team Previewhttp://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-2014-15-xavier-musketeers-team-preview
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball 2014-15: Xavier Musketeers Team Preview</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_469&amp;products_id=23905" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://shop.athlonsports.com/images/14-Cin-Dayt-X_v415.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 332px; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>Few believed Xavier would finish in the top half of the retooled Big East based on last year&rsquo;s preseason predictions. But the Musketeers, picked seventh by the league&rsquo;s media in the fall, went on to tie for third with a 10&ndash;8 conference record, including a 7&ndash;2 mark at home.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t always smooth sailing for a Xavier team that floundered down the stretch and fell to NC State in an NCAA Tournament &ldquo;play-in game&rdquo; in nearby Dayton. XU dropped nine of its final 15 games and suffered a major setback when center Matt Stainbrook strained the MCL in his left knee in the last regular-season road game. Although Stainbrook returned for the postseason, he was not at full strength.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Fast forward to this season&rsquo;s new-look team, which features nine scholarship freshmen and sophomores. High expectations abound for the six rookies &mdash; Larry Austin Jr., Trevon Bluiett, Makinde London, J.P. Macura, Sean O&rsquo;Mara and Edmond Sumner &mdash; that form the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There&rsquo;s much to learn about this team, starting with the identities of new scoring leaders. Last year&rsquo;s top producers are gone &mdash; Semaj Christon was a second-round pick in the NBA Draft after leaving Xavier following his sophomore season, and Justin Martin opted to play his final season at SMU as a graduate transfer.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>The Xavier edition is one of dozens available&nbsp;in our </strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_469&amp;products_id=23889"><strong>online store</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;and on newsstands everywhere now.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Frontcourt</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Stainbrook was a known quantity &mdash; despite being in his first season at Xavier after transferring from Western Michigan &mdash; for his scoring, rebounding and passing skills. His work down low allowed Jalen Reynolds time to develop as a freshman. The 6-9 forward made modest contributions for much of the season but showed his vast potential with a 17-point, 16-rebound effort in a win at St. John&rsquo;s in February. Reynolds, one of the team&rsquo;s best athletes, is explosive around the basket.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>James Farr, also 6-9, traveled a different trajectory by starting the season strong and fading in February. Farr, who can stretch defenses with his long-range shooting, has the potential to be a difference-maker if he develops more consistency on the defensive end of the floor. London and O&rsquo;Mara also may impact the front line as they compete for minutes off the bench. &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The departure of Martin, who played small forward and also served as a stretch-4, opens the door for Bluiett, a heralded prospect. The 6-6 wing, who averaged 35.7 points as a high school senior, is perhaps the most college-ready player among the newcomers. Macura is another capable shooter who could make an impact, either at small forward or shooting guard.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr /><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31979-3/Xavier.png" style="width: 100px; height: 85px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Xavier Musketeers Facts &amp; Figures</strong></p><p><strong>Last season: </strong>21-13, 10-8 Big East</p><p><strong>Postseason:</strong> NCAA First Four</p><p><strong>Consecutive NCAAs: </strong>1</p><p><strong>Coach: </strong>Chris Mack (111-57 at Xavier, 58-24 A-10/Big East)</p><p><strong>Big East Projection:</strong> Third</p><p><strong>Postseason Projection: </strong>NCAA First Four</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr /><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Backcourt</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Point guard Dee Davis is the elder statesman of the team by virtue of being the only fourth-year Musketeer on the roster. He developed into an effective pass-first guard as a junior while still contributing 7.7 points to go with his 4.7 assists. As a senior, Davis will be asked to increase his production while providing leadership to an otherwise young backcourt.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Xavier gains experience in junior guard Remy Abell, a transfer from Indiana who shot 48.5 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore at IU two years ago. He is capable of being a factor on both ends of the court.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>At times last season Myles Davis was among the first players off the bench, capable of draining clutch 3-pointers and changing momentum. The shooting guard struggled down the stretch, both offensively and defensively, and vowed to improve in the offseason. If he has, the New Jersey native will be a key cog in Xavier&rsquo;s rotation.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sophomore Brandon Randolph and Sumner, one of the freshmen, will battle for time off the bench at the point. Randolph played significant minutes early last season but fell out of the rotation in the final two months.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Final Analysis</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Chris Mack has the youngest roster in his six-year tenure, but he still has plenty of talent at his disposal &mdash; despite losing his top two scorers, each with eligibility remaining. &nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If the Musketeers can cure some of the ills that afflicted them last season &mdash; inconsistent bench production, stretches of poor defense &mdash; they will be in the mix at the top of the Big East standings. Catching the rookies up to speed and rolling with their early mistakes will be key.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Newcomers</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Remy Abell, a transfer from Indiana, practiced with Xavier last season and should play major minutes. Trevon Bluiett arrives with an impressive offensive resume, but like the other freshmen &mdash; Larry Austin Jr., Makinde London, J.P. Macura, Sean O&rsquo;Mara and Edmond Sumner &mdash; he must prove he can play defense.&nbsp;</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/xavier-musketeers">Xavier Musketeers</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball: 2014-15 Big East Predictions and Awards</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/index.php?cPath=33_469" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://shop.athlonsports.com/images/14-Maryl-Vill-Gtown_v416.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 332px; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>The first year of the new Big East alignment brought a little bit of everything: a&nbsp;national player of the year and one of college basketball&rsquo;s all-time greats (Creighton&rsquo;s Doug McDermott), a national top 10 team (Villanova) and&nbsp;one surprising NCAA participant (Providence).</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>At the same time,&nbsp;the new league also showed its limitations. None of its four teams in the NCAA Tournament advanced beyond the first weekend. And after the season, arguably&nbsp;the league&rsquo;s best&nbsp;coach at one of the Big East&rsquo;s top programs left for a middling ACC team.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Even if Buzz Williams&rsquo; departure from Marquette to Virginia Tech was as much a product of internal politics as anything, the move wasn&rsquo;t a great sign of health for the league.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The Big East may enter the 2014-15 season with same kinds of highs and lows. Villanova returns the core of a team that was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown and Xavier continue to be NCAA contenders.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>But the Doug McDermott Show is gone, putting Creighton into a rebuilding year along with Marquette, under new coach Steve Wojciechowski, and Butler.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>That leaves teams like Providence, Seton Hall and St. John&rsquo;s &mdash;&nbsp;also-rans at the end of the previous Big East era &mdash; making up the depth of the league.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Previews of every Big East team and more are available in the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/index.php?cPath=33_469" target="_blank">2014-15 Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview</a>.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h3 class="athlon-large-title" style="font-family:tungsten-semibold;font-size:42px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;padding:0;">Big East 2014-15 Preseason Picks</h3><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>1. Villanova (<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-2014-15-villanova-wildcats-team-preview" target="_blank">team preview</a>)</strong></p><p><strong>Postseason projection: </strong>NCAA Sweet 16</p><p>The clear-cut favorite to win the league, the Wildcats could be poised for a deep NCAA Tournament run. Can Josh Hart replace James Bell?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>2. Georgetown (<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-2014-15-georgetown-hoyas-team-preview" target="_blank">team preview</a>)</strong></p><p><strong>Postseason projection:</strong> NCAA round of 64</p><p>Despite the loss of Markel Starks, John Thompson III will have this team in the mix. The key could be Joshua Smith: Will he stay healthy and eligible?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>3. Xavier (<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://beta.athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-2014-15-xavier-musketeers-team-preview" target="_blank">team preview</a>)</strong></p><p><strong>Postseason projection: </strong>NCAA First Four</p><p>Had everyone returned, the Musketeers could have competed for a league title. Jalen Reynolds is ready for a breakout season up front.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>4. St. John&rsquo;s</strong></p><p><strong>Postseason projection:</strong> NIT</p><p>There is still plenty of talent and athleticism on the roster, and Rysheed Jordan and D&rsquo;Angelo Harrison form a dynamic guard duo.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>5. Providence</strong></p><p><strong>Postseason projection: </strong>NIT</p><p>Life without Bryce Cotton begins for Ed Cooley. LaDontae Henton and Tyler Harris will score, but Kris Dunn needs to stay healthy.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>6. Seton Hall</strong></p><p><strong>Postseason projection: </strong>NIT</p><p>The most intriguing team in the league. Isaiah Whitehead can score, Angel Delgado is a dominant rebounder, and Sterling Gibbs is back.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>7. Butler</strong></p><p><strong>Postseason projection:</strong> NIT</p><p>Roosevelt Jones&rsquo; return from injury will be the biggest key. He and Kellen Dunham will form a terrific &ndash; and productive &ndash; perimeter tandem.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>8. Marquette</strong></p><p>Steve Wojciechowski enters his first season with very little up front &mdash; but plenty of perimeter punch, including Todd Mayo and Matt Carlino.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>9. Creighton</strong></p><p>A rebuilding job begins for Greg McDermott. His son and three other starters have moved on, and big reinforcements are a year away.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>10. DePaul</strong></p><p>Oliver Purnell has won nine Big East games since joining DePaul four seasons ago. Could this be his last go-round in Chicago?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h3 class="athlon-large-title" style="font-family:tungsten-semibold;font-size:42px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;padding:0;">2014-15 Big East Superlatives</h3><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Player of the Year: D&rsquo;Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown</strong></p><p>Smith-Rivera will shoulder more of the load with the departure of do-it-all point guard Markel Starks. His 17.6 points per game suggests Smith-Rivera is ready. The junior also averaged 87.3 shooting from the free throw line.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Best Defensive Player: Chris Obekpa, St. John&rsquo;s</strong></p><p>Obekpa has twice led the Big East in blocks, topping out at 2.9 a year ago.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Most Underrated Player: Darrun Hilliard, Villanova</strong></p><p>Hilliard was one of the most improved players in the league last season, improving from 31.5 percent shooting from 3-point range to 41.4 despite taking 45 more shots last season.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Newcomer of the Year: Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall</strong></p><p>If Seton Hall is going to make a long-awaited rise, the arrival of Whitehead from Brooklyn will be a big reason why. The McDonald&rsquo;s All-American should offer a scoring boost to an experienced backcourt.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Top coach: Jay Wright, Villanova (<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-ranking-big-east-coaches-2014-15" target="_blank">full Big East coach rankings</a>)</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>First-Team All-Big East&nbsp;</strong></p><p>G D&rsquo;Angelo Harrison, St. John&rsquo;s</p><p>G Kellen Dunham, Butler</p><p>G D&rsquo;Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown</p><p>F LaDontae Henton, Providence</p><p>F JayVaughn Pinkston, Villanova</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Second-Team All-Big East</strong></p><p>G Darrun Hilliard, Villanova</p><p>G Rysheed Jordan, St. John&rsquo;s</p><p>G Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall</p><p>F Roosevelt Jones, Butler</p><p>C Matt Stainbrook, Xavier</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Third-Team All-Big East</strong></p><p>G Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova</p><p>G Matt Carlino, Marquette<br />G Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall</p><p>G Billy Garrett Jr., DePaul</p><p>C Joshua Smith, Georgetown</p><p>&nbsp;</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-previous-article field-type-entityreference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Previous Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball 2014-15: Villanova Wildcats Team Preview</div></div></div>Tue, 21 Oct 2014 11:00:48 +0000Athlon Sports83939 at http://athlonsports.comCollege Basketball 2014-15: Georgetown Hoyas Team Previewhttp://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-2014-15-georgetown-hoyas-team-preview
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball 2014-15: Georgetown Hoyas Team Preview</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><em><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_469&amp;products_id=23889" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://shop.athlonsports.com/images/14-Maryl-Vill-Gtown_v416.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 332px; float: right; margin: 4px;" /></a></em></p><div>Georgetown&rsquo;s 2013-14 season began with uncertainty &mdash; and it resulted in the Hoyas missing the NCAA Tournament.</div><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The team never seemed to get any momentum. The Hoyas lost to Northeastern, then beat Kansas State and VCU. They lost six of seven Big East games in January, then beat Michigan State. And just when it looked like Georgetown could make a case for the NCAA Tournament, it lost five of its last seven &mdash; with the wins coming over Creighton and Xavier, of course.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There were availability questions surrounding Greg Whittington at the start of the season and Josh Smith in the middle of the season &mdash; plus various injuries. With fewer question marks heading into this season, Georgetown should be back in the mix for an NCAA Tournament invite.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>The Georgetown edition is one of dozens available&nbsp;in our <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_469&amp;products_id=23889">online store</a>&nbsp;and on newsstands everywhere now.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Frontcourt</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Like last season, the key for the Hoyas will be the availability of Smith. He played just 13 games before being ruled academically ineligible, costing Georgetown in Big East play. He played fewer than 20 minutes per game, but was third on the team in scoring. Smith was a force at times in November and December, opening the season with 25 points against Oregon and also notching six straight double-figure scoring outings in non-conference play. The talent has never been the question for Smith; it&rsquo;s his conditioning. Can Smith stay on the floor? When he gets the ball on the block, he&rsquo;s nearly unstoppable.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Nate Lubick and Moses Ayegba are gone from last season, but John Thompson III won&rsquo;t lack for options. Mikael Hopkins was something of an unsung presence inside for the Hoyas, leading the team in blocked shots and providing Georgetown with a capable passer. Sophomore Reggie Cameron might be the team&rsquo;s best pure outside shooter.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Two reasons for excitement, though, are freshmen Paul White and Isaac Copeland. White is a 6-8 forward who can stretch the floor and also put the ball on the deck and get to the rim. He has the ability to be a matchup problem. Copeland has a higher ceiling than White, and is another versatile forward who can knock down shots from the perimeter.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr /><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31427-1/Georgetown.jpg" style="width: 100px; height: 91px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Georgetown Hoyas Facts &amp; Figures</strong></p><p><strong>Last season: </strong>25-7, 8-10 Big East</p><p><strong>Postseason:</strong> NIT</p><p><strong>Last NCAA Tournament: </strong>2013</p><p><strong>Coach: </strong>John Thompson III (227-104 at Georgetown, 107-62 Big East)</p><p><strong>Big East Projection:</strong> Second</p><p><strong>Postseason Projection: </strong>NCAA Round of 64</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr /><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Backcourt</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Georgetown bids farewell to point guard Markel Starks, a four-year player. Over the last two seasons, Starks was a scorer and playmaker who cemented himself as one of the Big East&rsquo;s best guards.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Without Starks, the onus will fall on junior D&rsquo;Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Smith-Rivera led the Hoyas in scoring last season and could be ready for a Big East Player of the Year-type of campaign. He finished last season on a tear, averaging 25.0 points in his last three games.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Jabril Trawick might not put up big scoring numbers, but the team is different when he&rsquo;s not on the court. He missed five games due to a broken jaw last season &mdash; and Georgetown went 1-4 in his absence. He&rsquo;s an athletic guard who also might be the team&rsquo;s best perimeter defender. Aaron Bowen had his moments last season as a backup on the wing, using his athleticism to bring energy off the bench.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Two freshmen will also play roles on the perimeter. L.J. Peak is a bigger wing who has plenty of athleticism. Tre Campbell is the only pure point guard on the team, and could have to play an immediate role if Smith-Rivera is more comfortable off the ball.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Final Analysis</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Outside of Villanova, the Big East is wide-open &mdash; and Georgetown will be right in the mix for that second tier. If Smith is eligible, healthy and in shape &mdash; or at least able to play 20 minutes a night for an entire season &mdash; the Hoyas probably will be the second-best team in the league. Smith is that important.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>When Smith brings consistent scoring to the post, all the other ingredients are there for Thompson. Smith-Rivera is one of the best guards in the country; Hopkins and Trawick bring experience; and there is depth across the roster. The Hoyas&rsquo; four-man recruiting class brings a little bit of everything.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It&rsquo;s difficult to say an 18&ndash;15 team that lost its do-it-all senior point guard will be significantly improved the next season, but that should be the case for Georgetown. Expect a bounce-back season in the nation&rsquo;s capital.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Newcomers</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Georgetown had one of the better recruiting classes in the country, and it&rsquo;s a four-man group that helps shore up different areas &mdash; with a nice mix of immediate impact and future potential. Paul White and Isaac Copeland are both versatile forwards who will certainly help with their ability to stretch the defense. Tre Campbell is a pure point guard, and L.J. Peak is a strong, athletic wing.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/georgetown-hoyas">Georgetown Hoyas</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-previous-article field-type-entityreference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Previous Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball 2014-15: Villanova Wildcats Team Preview</div></div></div>Tue, 21 Oct 2014 11:00:23 +0000Athlon Sports83940 at http://athlonsports.comCollege Basketball 2014-15: Villanova Wildcats Team Previewhttp://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-2014-15-villanova-wildcats-team-preview
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball 2014-15: Villanova Wildcats Team Preview</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p><em><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_469&amp;products_id=23889" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://shop.athlonsports.com/images/14-Maryl-Vill-Gtown_v416.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 332px; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></a>College basketball season is creeping up fast, and Athlon Sports is counting down to Midnight Madness and the start of practice on Oct. 17.&nbsp;</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>No. 12 Villanova is built to win the Big East for a second consecutive season, something the Wildcats haven&rsquo;t done since 1982-83. But with four starters returning, Villanova will be expected to do more than just win the new Big East, especially after losing in the round of 32 as a No. 2 seed last season.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>The Villanova edition is one of dozens available&nbsp;in our <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://shop.athlonsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_469&amp;products_id=23889" target="_blank"><strong>online store</strong></a>&nbsp;and on newsstands everywhere now.</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>With 15 minutes remaining in their Round of 32 game, Villanova was leading Connecticut and seemed to have some momentum after back-to-back James Bell 3-pointers.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>That quickly changed.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>UConn outscored the Wildcats by 13 points over the final 15 minutes, beating Villanova en route to the national championship.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;After the game, it was crushing and disappointing,&rdquo; coach Jay Wright says. &ldquo;But as you saw them go on, you respected their performance more and became less disappointed in yours.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>With only two players gone from last season &mdash; including Bell &mdash; it wouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise to see Villanova making a deep run in this season&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are certainly the Big East favorite.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;If we handle it well, I like it. If we don&rsquo;t handle it well, I don&rsquo;t like it,&rdquo; Wright says of the expectations. &ldquo;If I was given the choice, I would like to be in that position.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr /><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/30850-2/Villanova.jpg" style="width: 100px; height: 92px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />No. 12 Villanova Wildcats Facts &amp; Figures</strong></p><p><strong>Last season: </strong>29-5, 16-2 Big East</p><p><strong>Postseason: </strong>Round of 32</p><p><strong>Consecutive NCAAs: </strong>2</p><p><strong>Coach: </strong>Jay Wright (285-149 overall at Villanova, 124-79 Big East)</p><p><strong>Big East Projection:</strong> First</p><p><strong>Postseason Projection: </strong>NCAA Sweet 16</p><p>&nbsp;</p><hr /><p>The loss of Bell will hurt Villanova, as the first-team All-Big East performer was Villanova&rsquo;s top scorer and brought senior leadership.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Although he&rsquo;s not expected to do it on his own, sophomore Josh Hart will get the first crack at replacing Bell. He showed flashes, notching eight straight double-figure games in December and January, and scoring 18 points against Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;He had a great freshman year,&rdquo; Wright says. &ldquo;He picked things up really quickly. I saw a resiliency from him, and he continued that same way in the offseason. He keeps getting better and better.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Senior Jayvaughn Pinkston followed that path the past three seasons, and is now expected to be a dominant performer on a more consistent basis. At 6-7, 260 pounds, Pinkston can be a load in the paint.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;I do expect him to be one of the best players in the Big East,&rdquo; Wright says. &ldquo;He needs to go to another level this year. Impact a game consistently, night-in, night-out.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Wright is very excited about the improvement of center Daniel Ochefu. He came on strong down the stretch, blocking shots and rebounding, while also using his passing ability at the other end.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sophomore Kris Jenkins, who lost 43 pounds last year, and freshman Mikal Bridges will provide depth, along with sophomore Darryl Reynolds.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Backcourt</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As always, Villanova will have one of the best backcourts in the country. There&rsquo;s no physical, attack-minded force like Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye or Corey Fisher, but Ryan Arcidiacono and Darrun Hilliard complement each other well.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Arcidiacono made waves as a freshman two seasons ago, but he also had some issues with turnovers and decision-making. Last season, his scoring numbers were down, but his percentages and assist-to-turnover ratio went up. &ldquo;He did exactly what we wanted our guards to do,&rdquo; Wright says. &ldquo;As a freshman, he came in aggressively and made a lot of mistakes. As a sophomore, he used his aggressiveness to be smarter. He&rsquo;s getting more and more efficient.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Hilliard is a leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year. Known mostly as an outside shooter, the lefty has expanded his offensive game. He finished the season on a high note, averaging 17.3 points in March. &ldquo;I expect him to develop into a great leader on this team,&rdquo; Wright says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the best guards in the country.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>There&rsquo;s solid help on the bench. Dylan Ennis, older brother of recent draft pick Tyler Ennis, didn&rsquo;t adapt as quickly as some thought last season, but he can do a little bit of everything. Freshman Phil Booth brings scoring and ball-handling.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;">Final Analysis</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Villanova&rsquo;s only two losses in conference play last season were by a combined 49 points to Creighton, and with Doug McDermott gone, the Wildcats are clearly the Big East favorite.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The pieces are there for a deep March run. The Cats have terrific guard play in Arcidiacono and Hilliard; a bruising forward in Pinkston; and solid role players who are getting better in Ochefu and Hart. Replacing Bell &mdash; both in terms of production and leadership &mdash; will be the key.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>If Hart can pick up the slack, though, there aren&rsquo;t many better starting fives in the country. Throw in improvements from some of the younger players, and we could be talking about last season&rsquo;s loss to UConn as a stepping stone to a Final Four run.</p><h4 class="athlon-medium-title" style="font-family:helveticaneue-medium,helvetica;font-size:26px;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:0em;line-height:1em;margin:0;"><br />Newcomers</h4><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t a big recruiting class, but Jay Wright picked up two quality complementary pieces in Phil Booth and Mikal Bridges. Both players are low-maintenance guys, and will accept a backup role until it&rsquo;s their turn. Booth can bring scoring and solid point guard play, while Bridges is long and athletic.&nbsp;</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/villanova-wildcats">Villanova Wildcats</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-previous-article field-type-entityreference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Previous Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball: Ranking the Big East Coaches for 2014-15</div></div></div>Thu, 02 Oct 2014 11:00:56 +0000Athlon Sports81013 at http://athlonsports.comCollege Basketball: Ranking the Big East Coaches for 2014-15http://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-ranking-big-east-coaches-2014-15
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball: Ranking the Big East Coaches for 2014-15</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>The Big East coaching roster &mdash; back in its classic lineup &mdash; was notable for its firebrands on the bench with Jim Boeheim, John Thompson, Rollie Massimino and Lou Carnesecca.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The lineup in the second year of this version of the Big East may have personality but it&nbsp;is more&nbsp;notable for its familiarity.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Jay Wright and John Thompson III are as identifiable with their programs as anybody in college basketball in 2014-15, Chris Mack and Brandon Miller are alums for their respective schools, and Ed Cooley is a Rhode Island and Providence hometowner.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>That will have to do for the Big East for now. The league that once boasted multiple Hall of Famers has only two coaches that have reached the Final Four in Wright and Thompson.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As usual, a handful of factors go into ranking the coaches &mdash;&nbsp;career accomplishments, career momentum, gameday acumen, player development, recruiting, conference records and postseason success.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Want to tell us how wrong we are? Tweet us at <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/AthlonSports">@AthlonSports</a></strong> or talk to us on <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/AthlonSports"><strong>Facebook</strong></a>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/30850-2/Villanova.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 46px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />1. Jay Wright, Villanova</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Villanova:</strong> 286-149 (.657)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament:</strong> 13-11, one Final Four</p><p><strong>Number to note: </strong>Villanova&rsquo;s Big East title in 2014 was the Wildcats&rsquo; first outright conference title since 1982. Nova hasn&rsquo;t won a conference tournament since 1995.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here:</strong> After a brief dip in 2011-12, Villanova has returned to where Wright has had the program for most of his tenure. Villanova went 16-0 vs. Big East opponents not named Creighton during the 2013-14 regular season.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31427-1/Georgetown.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 45px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />2. John Thompson III, Georgetown</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Georgetown: </strong>227-104 (.686)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament:</strong> 8-9, one Final Four</p><p><strong>Number to note:</strong> Before last season, Georgetown ranked in the top 100 in defensive efficiency in KenPom&#39;s rankings every year of Thompson&rsquo;s tenure, including three times in the top 10.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here:</strong> Thompson may get dinged for early NCAA losses, but the Hoyas are a year removed from a Big East title. Besides, Georgetown&rsquo;s NCAA draws have included Florida Gulf Coast, Final Four-bound VCU and Stephen Curry-led Davidson.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31979-3/Xavier.png" style="width: 50px; height: 43px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />3. Chris Mack, Xavier</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Xavier:</strong> 111-57 (.661)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament:</strong> 4-4</p><p><strong>Number to note: </strong>Since starting 29-3 in his first two season in the Atlantic 10, Mack is 29-21 in the A-10/Big East.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here: </strong>Xavier&rsquo;s pace has slowed since Mack&rsquo;s first two seasons, but he&rsquo;s reached the NCAA Tournament in four of five seasons and reached the Sweet 16 in 2012.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/42456-1/Creighton.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />4. Greg McDermott, Creighton</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Creighton: </strong>107-38 (.738)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament:</strong> 3-6</p><p><strong>Number to note:</strong> McDermott is 149-131 without his son on the roster and 107-38 with Doug McDermott.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here:</strong> No question, Greg McDermott&nbsp;is thankful his son turned out to be a three-time All-American, but don&rsquo;t forget the elder McDermott was the first coach to win consistently at Northern Iowa.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31419-2/Providence.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />5. Ed Cooley, Providence</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Providence:</strong> 57-44 (.564)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament:</strong> 0-1</p><p><strong>Number to note:</strong> Cooley&rsquo;s 42 wins in the last two seasons are the best for Providence since 1995-97, and the Friars&rsquo; NCAA appearance last year was their first since 2004.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here: </strong>Cooley has improved Providence enough to raise the possibility of doing&nbsp;what Rick Barnes or Rick Pitino never did:&nbsp;post winning Big East records in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31433-2/StJohns.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 37px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />6. Steve Lavin, St. John&rsquo;s</strong></p><p><strong>Record at St. John&rsquo;s: </strong>71-60 (.542)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament: </strong>11-7</p><p><strong>Number to note: </strong>St. John&rsquo;s is 32-30 in the Big East with two NIT appearances in three seasons since the Red Storm went 12-6 in Lavin&rsquo;s first year.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here: </strong>Treatment for prostate cancer in 2011-12 stalled Lavin&rsquo;s ability to build upon his first season, but he&rsquo;s recruited well enough by now to reach the NCAA Tournament again.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31425-2/SetonHall.jpg" style="width: 49px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />7. Kevin Willard, Seton Hall</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Seton Hall:</strong> 66-66 (.500)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament: </strong>No appearances</p><p><strong>Number to note: </strong>Seton Hall went 15-21 in the Big East in Willard&rsquo;s first two seasons before dropping to 9-27 in the past two.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here: </strong>Willard appeared to have Seton Hall on the right track before a 3-15 collapse two years ago. Year 5 will be a big one for Willard.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31430-2/DePaul.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 39px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />8. Oliver Purnell, DePaul</strong></p><p><strong>Record at DePaul: </strong>42-85 (.331)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament: </strong>0-6</p><p><strong>Number to note: </strong>Purnell has one of the most unique coaching experiences in college basketball. He&rsquo;s coached at five spots since 1988, he&rsquo;s never won an NCAA game and has never been fired.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here: </strong>Purnell has turned around Radford, Old Dominion, Dayton and Clemson. Purnell (9-57 in the Big East) may have met his match at DePaul.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/30840-6/Butler.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />9. Brandon Miller, Butler</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Butler:</strong> 14-17 (.452)</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament: </strong>None</p><p><strong>Number to note: </strong>Miller&rsquo;s first season was Butler&rsquo;s second losing campaign since 1992-93.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here: </strong>Miller faced an exodus of five players from November through April last season in his first season, but the former Brad Stevens and Thad Matta assistant knows the terrain here.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31416-1/marquette.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 37px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />10. Steve Wojciechowski, Marquette</strong></p><p><strong>Record at Marquette:</strong> First season</p><p><strong>NCAA Tournament: </strong>None</p><p><strong>Number to note: </strong>Wojo is 38 years old, and he has spent 19 of those years as a player or assistant for Mike Krzyzewski.</p><p><strong>Why he&rsquo;s ranked here: </strong>Wojciechowski&rsquo;s predecessor Buzz Williams was ranked No. 1 in the Big East a year ago, but Marquette has been a spot where Williams and Tom Crean were able to build names for themselves.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/villanova-wildcats">Villanova Wildcats</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-previous-article field-type-entityreference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Previous Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball: Ranking the ACC Coaches for 2014-15</div></div></div>Tue, 23 Sep 2014 11:00:20 +0000David Fox79603 at http://athlonsports.comCollege Basketball Weekend Recap: 15 Things to Knowhttp://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/college-basketball-weekend-recap-15-things-know
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball Weekend Recap: 15 Things to Know</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Whether the achievements were fully expected, almost routine, or a true surprise, college basketball gave us some of the best of the sport during the weekend.<br /><br />Even though Doug McDermott hit a career milestone, Wichita State continued its unbeaten streak or Florida joined an elite class, there was cause for celebration on the final day of the regular season.<br /><br />The milestone in Lincoln wasn&rsquo;t quite as expected as the others, but just as momentous as Nebraska all but clinched an NCAA Tournament bid with a win over Wisconsin.<br /><br />All this, with a week left before Selection Sunday<br /><br /><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>College Basketball Weekend Recap: 15 Things to Know</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/42456-1/Creighton.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />1. Doug McDermott scored his 3,000th point</strong></span><br />Milestone performances don&rsquo;t come in many more perfect packages than what Doug McDermott delivered Saturday night. The Creighton forward became the eighth member the 3,000-point club with a 3-point shot in the second half of a win over Providence, but that was only part of the career night by McDermott. In his final home game in Omaha, McDermott scored a career-high 45 points. In a game Warren Buffett would love &mdash; the Oracle of Omaha himself was in attendance &mdash; McDermott was economical in his career day, finishing 17 of 25 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. He&rsquo;s the first 3,000-point scorer since 2006 and one of the rare players to put up these kinds of numbers while playing for a nationally prominent program.<br /><br />The 3,000-point club includes:<br />&nbsp;</p><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" style="text-align: center;">Top Scorers in College Basketball History</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Player</strong></td><td><strong>Last Year</strong></td><td><strong>Total Points</strong></td></tr><tr><td>1. Pete Maravich, LSU</td><td>1970</td><td>3,667</td></tr><tr><td>2. Freeman Williams, Portland State</td><td>1978</td><td>3,249</td></tr><tr><td>3. Lionel Simmons, La Salle&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>1990</td><td>3,217</td></tr><tr><td>4. Alphonso Ford, Mississippi Valley</td><td>1993</td><td>3,165</td></tr><tr><td>5. Harry Kelly, Texas Southern</td><td>1983</td><td>3,066</td></tr><tr><td>6. Keydren Clark, Saint Peter&rsquo;s</td><td>2006</td><td>3,058</td></tr><tr><td><strong>7. Doug McDermott, Creighton</strong></td><td><strong>2014</strong></td><td><strong>3,011</strong></td></tr><tr><td>8. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>1988</td><td>3,008</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/32045-2/WichitaState_001.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 44px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />2. Wichita State matched UNLV&rsquo;s 34-0</strong></span><br />History continued for Wichita State, and again it looked routine. Indiana State threatened at times, but the Sycamores led a minute into the game and never again. Wichita State won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with an 83-69 win over Indiana State to seal a 34-0 record and likely a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The 34-0 start ties 1990-91 UNLV for the best start in college basketball history. Wichita State will likely break the record with its 35th win in the NCAA Tournament unless the Shockers become the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16. A notable number of the MVC final, Wichita State beat Indiana State &mdash; the No. 2 team in the league &mdash; three times by a combined margin of 41 points.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/florida-gators.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />3. Florida made history</strong></span><br />No matter how weak the SEC is this season, Florida&rsquo;s accomplishment of reaching 18-0 stands as a historic feat. The Gators trounced Kentucky 84-65 to become the first 18-0 team in league history. The schedule expanded to 18 games when SEC added Texas A&amp;M and Missouri, but no team accomplished the feat when the league slate featured 18 games from 1967-91. Running the table in a classic power conference is a rare feat, accomplished only seven times since the 1985. In that span, no Big Ten team has gone undefeated in league play. Ditto for the Big East or Pac-12. Naturally, the achievement is a precursor to NCAA Tournament success.<br />&nbsp;</p><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" style="text-align: center;">Undefeated in a power conference since 1985</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Team</strong></td><td><strong>NCAA Tournament</strong></td><td><strong>Coach</strong></td></tr><tr><td>2014 Florida (18-0 SEC)</td><td>--</td><td>Billy Donovan</td></tr><tr><td>2012 Kentucky (16-0 SEC)</td><td>National champion</td><td>John Calipari</td></tr><tr><td>2003 Kentucky (16-0 SEC)</td><td>Elite Eight</td><td>Tubby Smith</td></tr><tr><td>2002 Kansas (16-0 Big 12)</td><td>National runner up</td><td>Roy Williams</td></tr><tr><td>1999 Duke (16-0 ACC)</td><td>National runner up</td><td>Mike Krzyzewski</td></tr><tr><td>1996 Kentucky (16-0 SEC)</td><td>National champion</td><td>Rick Pitino</td></tr><tr><td>1987 North Carolina (14-0 ACC)</td><td>Elite Eight</td><td>Dean Smith</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/duke-blue-devils.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />4. Jabari Parker is going to be a force in the postseason</strong></span><br />Duke avenged its collapse against North Carolina earlier in the season with a 93-81 win over the Tar Heels. The story, though, may be Jabari Parker. The freshman is playing perhaps his best basketball of the season with 30 points (10 of 17 shooting) and 11 rebounds against the Tar Heels. Parker has had a double-double in six consecutive games, averaging 18.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in that span.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/40136-2/oregon.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 39px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />5a. Oregon has snapped out of its funk</strong></span><br />The Ducks have been clawing their way out of a 3-8 start in the Pac-12 for some time, but this week signaled Oregon will be a dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon defeated Arizona State in a key game to get off the bubble before a major statement in a 64-57 win over Arizona. Dana Altman returned Johnathan Loyd to the starting lineup on Feb. 16, and the Ducks haven&rsquo;t lost since. Loyd had 16 points against Arizona.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>5b. Arizona&rsquo;s offensive deficiencies will be worth watching</strong></span><br />Arizona may be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament because of its stifling defense. It certainly won&rsquo;t be because of its offense. Arizona shot 2 of 11 from 3-point range against one of the weakest defensive teams in the conference, and the Wildcats continued to struggle from the free throw line (11 of 19). That&rsquo;s going to be a concern as the Wildcats enter the NCAA Tournament.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/kansas-jayhawks.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />6. Andrew Wiggins&rsquo; career day means there&rsquo;s little reason to worry about Kansas</strong></span><br />On paper, maybe Kansas fans should be worried about the Jayhawks. They lost two out of their last three including Saturday&rsquo;s 95-86 win over West Virginia. Perhaps they shouldn&rsquo;t. Kansas had already locked up the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and played again without Joel Embiid, whose ailing back is being saved for the postseason. Most encouraging for KU was the performance of Andrew Wiggins. The freshman scored more in&nbsp; a game than any other rookie this season with 41 points against the Mountaineers. More than just prolific, Wiggins was sharp as he shot 12 of 18 from the field and 15 of 19 from the free throw line. He added eight rebounds, five steals and four blocks.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/nebraska-cornhuskers.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />7. Nebraska&rsquo;s going to the NCAA Tournament</strong></span><br />The Cornhuskers still have to wait to Selection Sunday to be certain, but the Lincoln crowd celebrated as if they won the Big Ten Tournament. Closing the regular season on an 11-3 run after starting 0-4, Nebraska picked up its third RPI top 30 win by defeating Wisconsin 77-68. Second-year coach Tim Miles led one of the true surprises of the season as the Huskers were picked 12th in the league, including by Athlon. Nebraska will open the Big Ten Tournament on a bye as the No. 4 seed.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/louisville-cardinals.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />8a. Louisville was ridiculous Saturday</strong></span><br />Few performances were more dominant than Louisville&rsquo;s 81-45 win over Connecticut on Saturday. The Huskies helped with some ill-advised shots from Shabazz Napier, but they still finished shooting 29.4 percent from the field and 3 of 22 from 3-point range. The Cardinals were just as dominant as the defensive end as they had 20 assists &mdash; led by Russ Smith&rsquo;s 13 on Senior Day &mdash; on 26 field goals. Montrezl Harrell has been on a hot streak with 21.2 points and 9.4 rebounds in the last five games.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>8b. The top seed in the American was decided on a coin flip</strong></span><br />Seriously. The series of tiebreakers between Cincinnati and Louisville, tied in the league standings and 1-1 against each other, <strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cincinnati.com/story/blogs/2014/03/07/how-the-aac-breaks-tie-for-no-1-seed-in-conference-tournament/6166217/" target="_blank">ended up in a coin flip</a></strong> conducted after Louisville&rsquo;s win over UConn. Cincinnati won.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/baylor-bears.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />9. Baylor is one of the nation&rsquo;s hottest teams</strong></span><br />The end-of-game dramatics, thanks to a poor out-of-bounds play again, made Baylor&rsquo;s 76-74 win more interesting than it should have been. Even so, tip your cap to the way Baylor recovered this season. Not long ago, the Bears were 2-8 in the Big 12 and in danger of slipping into the NIT for the second consecutive season. Now, the Bears go into the Big 12 Tournament at 9-9 in the league. Baylor punctuated the win over Kansas State, the Wildcats&rsquo; first loss in Manhattan since the opener, with 17 consecutive free throws.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/oklahoma-state-cowboys.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />10. Oklahoma State showed why a team should foul while leading by 3</strong></span><br />The Cowboys missed a chance to close out the season with another impressive win when they lost 85-81 at Iowa State. Oklahoma State led 71-68 in the final seconds when Naz Long pulled up for a long 3-pointer with one second remaining. Oklahoma State didn&rsquo;t foul and went into overtime. The odds in the extra frame were somewhat evened with Marcus Smart fouled out for Oklahoma State and Melvin Ejim fouled out for Iowa State (Georges Niang followed later). The loss spoiled an otherwise impressive performance for an Oklahoma State team that will be the most dangerous team at whatever seed the Pokes get.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/tennessee-volunteers.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />11. Tennessee tried to erase any doubt</strong></span><br />The Volunteers have been a bubble team all season, helped by an early season win over Virginia but harmed by a season sweep to Texas A&amp;M. If Tennessee played like it did in the last three games, the Volunteers wouldn&rsquo;t be on the bubble at all. The Volunteers defeated Missouri 72-45 to defeat the Tigers, Vanderbilt and Auburn by a combined 95 points. Tennessee might need to win its SEC Tournament opener for an NCAA bid, but it&rsquo;s tough to pick against a Volunteers team on this kind of hot streak.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/missouri-tigers.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />12. Three teams suddenly have work to do in the conference tournaments</strong></span><br />Tennessee&rsquo;s rout of Missouri puts the Tigers into a deeper hole, but Frank Haith&rsquo;s team wasn&rsquo;t alone in falling apart in its final regular season game. Arkansas, which looked like a lock by virtue of a sweep of Kentucky, lost 83-58 to an Alabama team with a losing record. Elsewhere, Pittsburgh lost 83-78 in overtime to Clemson to fall to 11-7 in the SEC. An early loss in the league tournament for any of those teams could cost them a bid.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/san-diego-state-aztecs.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />13. San Diego State goes to 1-3-1, beats New Mexico</strong></span><br />Few things are more intriguing as when a major coaching adjustment pays off. Steve Fisher showed why he&rsquo;s a national coach of the year contender by switching to a 1-3-1 defense to take Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk out of the&nbsp; game. San Diego State trailed by 16 as New Mexico&rsquo;s big men took control before the Aztecs adjusted. San Diego State won 51-48 to clinch the Mountain West regular season title.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/syracuse-orange.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />14. Syracuse and Saint Louis showed signs of life</strong></span><br />Syracuse defeated Florida State 74-58 on the road to end a 1-4 streak which included losses to also-rans Boston College and Georgia Tech. Elsewhere, Jordair Jett&rsquo;s layup in the final 3 seconds gave Saint Louis a 64-62 win over UMass, ending a three-game losing streak.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>15. Five teams clinched automatic bids</strong></span><br />The first five automatic bids were clinched over the weekend with Wichita State, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and Mercer all winning conference tournaments. Harvard won the Ivy League regular season title.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/creighton-bluejays">Creighton Bluejays</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/florida-gators">Florida Gators</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/wichita-state-shockers">Wichita State Shockers</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/nebraska-cornhuskers">Nebraska Cornhuskers</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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<div class="field field-name-field-exclude-unless-partner field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude Unless Partner:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div> </div>
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div>Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:00:36 +0000David Fox60424 at http://athlonsports.comProfiling Georgetown: NCAA Tournament Bubble Watchhttp://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/profiling-georgetown-ncaa-tournament-bubble-watch
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Profiling Georgetown: NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Simply being in NCAA Tournament contention in the final days of February has to be a pleasant surprise for Georgetown.<br /><br />The Hoyas have been out of sorts ever since losing to 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA Tournament last season. The season began with a puzzling loss to Northeastern in Puerto Rico. Guard Greg Whittington was dismissed in November. Center Josh Smith was ruled academically ineligible in January.<br /><br />Georgetown has at least recovered to be on the fringes entering the final key stretch of the regular season. The good news is that the Hoyas have opportunities to lock up a bid with a tough road game (Marquette) and two games against the top two teams in the Big East (Creighton and Villanova).<br /><br />Here&rsquo;s how Georgetown&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament profile looks heading into tonight&rsquo;s game against Marquette.<br />&nbsp;</p><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"><tbody><tr><td>Remaining schedule</td><td>By the numbers</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Feb. 27: </strong>at Marquette<br /><strong>March 4: </strong>Creighton<br /><strong>March 8: </strong>Villanova</td><td><strong>Record: </strong>16-11, 7-8 Big East<br /><strong>RPI: </strong>60<br /><strong>Strength of schedule: </strong>25<br /><strong>KenPom: </strong>64<br /><strong>Best win:</strong> Michigan State on a neutral court<br /><strong>Worst loss:</strong> Northeastern on a neutral court</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>How Georgetown could be in the Tournament</strong></span><br />The Hoyas started 3-6 in Big East play, including a five-game losing streak, before an unlikely 64-60 win over Michigan State at Madison Square Garden started a hot streak for the Hoyas. One of the major developments has been the emergence of guard Jabril Trawick, who has averaged 11.4 points in his last eight games. Trawick&rsquo;s emergence alongside D&rsquo;Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Markel Brown in the backcourt is key for a team that has struggled offensively.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>How Georgetown could be left out</strong></span><br />Georgetown has three good neutral site wins, but the Hoyas have struggled away from home. The Hoyas&rsquo; only road wins are over DePaul and Butler, the two last place teams in the league. A season sweep by Seton Hall isn&rsquo;t a great look, either.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Georgetown needs to: Beat Marquette or (even better) beat Villanova on the road</strong></span><br />On paper, Marquette is the most winnable game remaining in the regular season, but the Golden Eagles defeated Georgetown 80-72 in overtime during the Hoyas&rsquo; January funk. Defeating Marquette and losing to Creighton and Villanova to end the season may be the most likely, but it still sets up a Georgetown team that needs to win a game or two in the Big East Tournament.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Georgetown can&rsquo;t afford: Losing out</strong></span><br />The Hoyas&rsquo; back-to-back loses to St. John&rsquo;s (Feb. 16) and Seton Hall (Feb. 20) cast doubt on their improvement earlier in the month. Losing three in a row to finish the regular season would put Georgetown on a 1-5 slide to finish the season and render the Big East tournament moot.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/georgetown-hoyas">Georgetown Hoyas</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-previous-article field-type-entityreference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Previous Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Pinpointing Coaches of the Year for Every Major College Basketball Conference</div></div></div>Thu, 27 Feb 2014 20:10:07 +0000David Fox59026 at http://athlonsports.comCreighton's Doug McDermott earns Athlon Player of the Week honorshttp://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/creightons-doug-mcdermott-earns-athlon-player-week-honors
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Creighton&#039;s Doug McDermott earns Athlon Player of the Week honors</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>Doug McDermott <strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gocreighton.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1000&amp;ATCLID=209409363" target="_blank">bobblehead day</a></strong> left Jay Wright&rsquo;s head spinning again.<br /><br />If there&rsquo;s one thing we know about the Big East this season, it&rsquo;s that Creighton has Villanova&rsquo;s number. The first time around, the Bluejays launched 21 3-pointers against Villanova. The Wildcats shut down some of Creighton&rsquo;s outside shooting, but they couldn&rsquo;t contain McDermott, the Athlon Sports National Player of the Week.<br /><br />The Creighton senior scored 39 points against Villanova to put the Bluejays up by a game in the win column in the Big East standings. McDermott scored Creighton&rsquo;s first 11 points in the first four minutes as Creighton never trailed the traditional Big East power.<br /><br /><strong>Related: </strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/10-things-you-need-know-college-basketball-weekend-feb-17"><strong>10 Things You Need to Know from the Basketball Weekend</strong></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/42456-1/Creighton.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></strong></span></strong></span>National Player of the Week: Doug McDermott, Creighton</strong></span><br />Dougie McBuckets continued to move up the all-time scoring list last week, passing Larry Bird on Sunday. McDermott matched a season high with 39 points against Villanova, completing a regular-season sweep against the Big East leaders. McDermott also scored 26 points in a 68-63 close call with Butler on Thursday. The senior shot 24 of 36 from the field for the week.<br /><br /><strong>Related: </strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/11-need-know-facts-about-creightons-doug-mcdermott"><strong>11 Doug McDermott Facts</strong></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><strong><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><strong><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/south-carolina-gamecocks.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></strong></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></strong></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span>National Freshman of the Week: Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina</strong></span><br />The Gamecocks are one of the worst teams in a lackluster SEC, but Thornwell is one of the key pieces as Frank Martin tries to turn things around in Columbia. Thornwell scored 22 points in a win over Alabama on Saturday and 19 in a win over Vanderbilt on Thursday afternoon. The guard also had 10 total rebounds and 10 total assists in South Carolina&rsquo;s first back-to-back SEC wins since 2011.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><strong><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><strong><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/middle-tennessee-blue-raiders.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" /></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></strong></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></strong></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span>Under-the-Radar Player of the Week: Kerry Hammonds II, Middle Tennessee</strong></span><br />Middle Tennessee has snuck into the mix for the Conference USA regular season title after dismantling league leader Southern Miss 81-64. Hammonds scored 26 points in the win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday, including six shots from 3-point range. Hammonds had 18 points in a win over Tulane earlier in the week.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Other top performers last week:</strong></span><br /><br /><strong>Scottie Wilbekin, Florida</strong><br />The Gators may have cleared the path to a perfect SEC season by conquering their toughest week of the season so far. Florida defeated Tennessee and Kentucky on the road for the first time in the same season since 1988. The Gators point guard led the way with 23 points in a 69-59 win at Kentucky and 21 points in a 67-58 win at Tennessee. The senior was 21 of 24 from the free throw line for the week with no turnovers.<br /><br /><strong>Shabazz Napier, UConn</strong><br />Napier continued his case for American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors with a gargantuan effort against Memphis. Napier scored 34 points and added five rebounds, four assists and four steals in the 86-81 win over the Tigers in overtime Saturday.<br /><br /><strong>Dwayne Evans, Saint Louis</strong><br />The Billikens took a major step toward a second consecutive Atlantic 10 title thanks to Evans&rsquo; play in a key 64-62 win over VCU. Evans had 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Rams as the Billikens moved to 10-0 in the A-10. A year ago, Evans was one of the hottest players in the country late in the season as Saint Louis won the A-10 regular season and tournament titles.<br /><br /><strong>James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina</strong><br />The long-awaited breakout for McAdoo is here as the junior had 24 points and 12 rebounds in a 75-71 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. McAdoo has been leading the way as North Carolina &mdash; a team noted for its bizarre losses early in the year &mdash; has discovered consistency. The Tar Heels have won six games in a row heading into busy week with the first meeting with Duke postponed to Feb. 20.<br /><br /><strong>Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin</strong><br />The Badgers&rsquo; big man gave Wisconsin its fourth victory in a row in a 75-62 win at Michigan on Sunday. Kaminsky scored 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting against the Wolverines while adding 11 rebounds. On Thursday, Kaminsky added 17 points in a 78-70 win over Minnesota.<br /><br /><strong>Jordan Bachynski, Arizona State</strong><br />Arizona finally ran into a defensive force that could match the Wildcats. The center Bachynski had eight blocks in a 69-66 double overtime upset of the No. 2 Wildcats on Friday night. Bachynski helped Arizona State in the offensive end with 13 points, led by 7 of 11 free throw shooting.<br /><br /><strong>Jabari Brown, Missouri</strong><br />The Tigers guard kept Missouri in NCAA contention this week with two key wins over Arkansas and Tennessee. Brown had 24 points in a 75-70 win over Tennessee on Saturday and 25 points in Thursday&rsquo;s 86-85 win over Arkansas. Brown&rsquo;s basket with 12.2 seconds left against the Razorbacks clinched the win.<br /><br /><strong>Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse</strong><br />Christmas had the steal to set up C.J. Fair&rsquo;s game-winning layup as Syracuse defeated NC State 56-55 to remain unbeaten. Christmas finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks in the win. In another close call with Pitt on Wednesday, Christmas had seven points, five rebounds and three blocks.<br /><br /><strong>Javan Felix, Texas</strong><br />With leading scorer Jonathan Holmes out for one game last week, Felix helped pick up the slack with 27 points in 30 minutes in a 87-68 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday. When Holmes returned, Felix remained the go-to player with 18 points in a 88-71 win over West Virginia on Saturday. Felix shot 16 of 30 from the field for the week.<br /><br /><strong>Kenny Chery, Baylor</strong><br />The junior college transfer point guard kept Baylor in contention for an NCAA Tournament spot with a triple-double in the 87-73 double overtime win over Kansas State. Chery finished with 20 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds as Baylor fought back from a 10-point deficit with nine minutes to go. The triple-double was the sixth in Baylor history.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/creighton-bluejays">Creighton Bluejays</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/south-carolina-gamecocks">South Carolina Gamecocks</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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<div class="field field-name-field-exclude-unless-partner field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude Unless Partner:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"></div></div></div> </div>
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-previous-article field-type-entityreference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Previous Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">11 Need-to-Know Facts About Creighton&#039;s Doug McDermott</div></div></div>Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:10:07 +0000David Fox57829 at http://athlonsports.com11 Need-to-Know Facts About Creighton's Doug McDermotthttp://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/11-need-know-facts-about-creightons-doug-mcdermott
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">11 Need-to-Know Facts About Creighton&#039;s Doug McDermott</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>More and more, the college basketball regular season fades into the background for the general sports public.<br /><br />Early entries to the NBA Draft have left the sport with few players who become household names by the time they are upperclassmen.<br /><br />Creighton&rsquo;s Doug McDermott should be in that rare class of college basketball superstar, but his career began in the Missouri Valley Conference, giving him a barrier to notoriety other productive seniors &mdash; Tyler Hansbrough, for example &mdash; never had to battle.<br /><br />McDermott is wrapping up one of the best careers in college basketball along multiple fronts. He&rsquo;ll finish among the top career scorers in college basketball history, but he&rsquo;ll join even more elite company than just the 3,000-point club.<br /><br />Here&#39;s why McDermott&#39;s four seasons shouldn&#39;t be overlooked.<br /><br /><em>Updated March 8.</em><br /><br /><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>11 Need-to-Know Facts about Doug McDermott</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>He in the rare 3,000- points club.</strong></span><br />McDermott became the eighth 3,000-point scorer in Division I history thanks to a career night March 8 with 45 points against Providence. McDermott became the first player to hit the 3,000-point milestone since 2006 and one of the few in recent decades to do it while playing for a nationally prominent program.<br />&nbsp;</p><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" style="text-align: center;">Top Scorers in College Basketball History</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Player</strong></td><td><strong>Last Year</strong></td><td><strong>Total Points</strong></td></tr><tr><td>1. Pete Maravich, LSU</td><td>1970</td><td>3,667</td></tr><tr><td>2. Freeman Williams, Portland State</td><td>1978</td><td>3,249</td></tr><tr><td>3. Lionel Simmons, La Salle&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>1990</td><td>3,217</td></tr><tr><td>4. Alphonso Ford, Mississippi Valley</td><td>1993</td><td>3,165</td></tr><tr><td>5. Harry Kelly, Texas Southern</td><td>1983</td><td>3,066</td></tr><tr><td>6. Keydren Clark, Saint Peter&rsquo;s</td><td>2006</td><td>3,058</td></tr><tr><td><strong>7. Doug McDermott, Creighton</strong></td><td><strong>2014</strong></td><td><strong>3,011</strong></td></tr><tr><td>8. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>1988</td><td>3,008</td></tr><tr><td>9. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati</td><td>1960</td><td>2,973</td></tr><tr><td>10. Danny Manning, Kansas</td><td>1988</td><td>2,951</td></tr><tr><td>11. Alfredrick Hughes, Loyola (Ill.)</td><td>1985</td><td>2,914</td></tr><tr><td>12. Elvin Hayes, Houston</td><td>1968</td><td>2,884</td></tr><tr><td>13. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina</td><td>2009</td><td>2,872</td></tr><tr><td>14. Larry Bird, Indiana State</td><td>1979</td><td>2,850</td></tr><tr><td>15. Otis Birdsong, Houston</td><td>1977</td><td>2,832</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>This season alone, he overtook some big names.</strong></span><br />McDermott is going to pass some college basketball giants as he climbs the list above, but he&rsquo;s passed some giants just in the last two months. Among the names on the all-time scoring list McDermott has overtaken since he joined the 2,500-point club on Dec. 29: Kansas&#39; Danny Manning, Cincinnati&#39;s Oscar Robertson, Indiana State&#39;s Larry Bird, Princeton&rsquo;s Bill Bradley, BYU&rsquo;s Jimmer Fredette, Davidson&rsquo;s Stephen Curry, Oklahoma&rsquo;s Wayman Tisdale and Navy&rsquo;s David Robinson.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/34177-1/McDermott300-2.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 373px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />He&rsquo;ll join elite company as a scorer <em>and</em> rebounder.</strong></span><br />McDermott isn&rsquo;t just an elite scorer. The 6-8 forward is also a standout rebounder who has averaged 7.6 boards per game in his career. His scoring totals combined with his rebounding totals puts him into more exclusive company. McDermott is one of eight players with 2,750 career points and 1,000 rebounds, joining, among others, Cincinnati&rsquo;s Oscar Robertson, Kansas&rsquo; Danny Manning, Indiana State&rsquo;s Larry Bird, North Carolina&rsquo;s Tyler Hansbrough and Loyola Marymount&rsquo;s Hank Gathers<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>He&rsquo;ll join even more elite company as a three-time All-American.</strong></span><br />McDermott&rsquo;s most recent comparison in terms of four-year players collecting numbers and winning awards is probably the Tar Heels&#39; Hansbrough, but the Creighton forward can do something even Psycho T couldn&#39;t. McDermott already has been a first-team All-American selection twice, and he&rsquo;s a virtual lock to do so a third time. If that&rsquo;s the case, he&rsquo;ll join Georgetown&rsquo;s Patrick Ewing and OU&rsquo;s Wayman Tisdale as the only three players to be named first-team consensus All-Americans three times.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Dougie McBuckets isn&rsquo;t a bad nickname.</strong></span><br />McDermott couldn&rsquo;t be this productive for this long without a nickname, so Dougie McBuckets it is. McBuckets &mdash; err, McDermott &mdash; has led the nation in field goals two seasons in a row with 307 in 2011-12 and 284 in 2012-13. No player had done it in back-to-back years since 1995-96. McDermott is running neck and neck with NC State&#39;s T.J. Warren for the national lead in field goals.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>He&rsquo;s half of one of the best father/son tandems in college basketball.</strong></span><br />We&rsquo;ve seen productive father and son scoring duos on the college level, including one of the most prolific this season. McDermott and his father, Greg McDermott, are having one of the most productive careers for a son playing for his father the coach. When McDermott passed Tennessee&rsquo;s Allan Houston (2,801 points playing for his father Wade) on the scoring list, Doug and Greg became the second-leading scoring tandem of a son playing for his father. The leaders won&rsquo;t be caught &mdash; LSU&rsquo;s Press and Pete Maravich. McDermott likely will join Pistol Pete as the <strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://collegehoopedia.com/blog/all-family-mcdermott-becomes-6th-league-mvp-under-father" target="_blank">second player to win national player of the year honors while playing for his dad</a></strong>.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:16px;">He&#39;s a walk on</span></strong><br />When Creighton starting guard Grant Gibbs was granted a sixth year of eligibility during the summer, McDermott <strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2013/07/02/all-american-doug-mcdermott-to-become-walk-on-for-creighton/2483463/" target="_blank">gave up his scholarship</a></strong> to make room for his teammate. McDermott, or more accurately his father, is paying Doug&#39;s full tuition at Creighton this season. Not a bad investment.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>He&rsquo;s efficient, and he&#39;s clutch</strong></span><br />McDermott wouldn&rsquo;t put up these kinds of numbers if he didn&rsquo;t take a ton of shots from the floor. Indeed, he&rsquo;s averaged 13.9 shots from the field per game in his career. But he&rsquo;s also never shot less than 50 percent from the field in a season and has a career average of 45.6 percent shooting on 3-pointers.<strong> </strong>With a game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute against Butler on Thursday, McDermott has three game-winning baskets late in games this season, including this last-second trey against St. John&rsquo;s.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WYpqRfGdXFk" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>He&rsquo;s not a Missouri Valley creation.</strong></span><br />Many of the top scorers of all time have been the product of a player facing overmatched competition in a lower-level league. First, the Missouri Valley was one of the best mid-majors, a league that produced a Final Four team in 2013, while McDermott was in the conference. Before Creighton began Big East play, McDermott averaged 22 points in 23 games against major conference competition (we&rsquo;re including the Mountain West since McDermott faced San Diego State twice in his career). McDermott is averaging 29.1 points per game against Big East competition this season.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>No one saw this coming, not even his dad.</strong></span><br />Creighton lucked out by getting McDermott to play in Omaha but not because his father as the coach allowed the Bluejays to sign a player they otherwise wouldn&rsquo;t have landed. McDermott was originally committed to go to Northern Iowa, where his Greg was the coach before he took the Iowa State job. So why didn&rsquo;t Greg recruit Doug to play at Iowa State? Dad didn&rsquo;t think his son could thrive at the Big 12 level. And it&rsquo;s not just Greg McDermott who was <strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/undervalued-in-high-school-doug-mcdermott-is-now-thriving?urn=ncaab,wp6693" target="_blank">caught unawares</a></strong>. McDermott was high school and AAU teammates at Ames (Iowa) with Harrison Barnes, the No. 2 prospect in the class. Barnes was recruited by plenty of high-major programs before landing at North Carolina. Moreover, another of McDermott&rsquo;s AAU teammates, Zach McCabe, landed a Big Ten scholarship to Iowa. McDermott didn&rsquo;t land at Creighton until he was released from his scholarship at Northern Iowa after his father took the job in Omaha.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>He hasn&rsquo;t won in the postseason.</strong></span><br />The last box for McDermott to check in his career is NCAA Tournament success. Creighton has twice lost in the NCAA round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 2 seed Duke in 2013 and No. 1 seed North Carolina in 2012. Creighton reached the championship game of the CBI when McDermott was a freshman before losing two out of three in the final series to Oregon.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/creighton-bluejays">Creighton Bluejays</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Exclude From Games</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-previous-article field-type-entityreference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Previous Article:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">College Basketball: Ranking the top 50 coaches for 2013-14</div></div></div>Sun, 16 Feb 2014 12:00:21 +0000Athlon Sports57680 at http://athlonsports.comWeekly Tipoff: Which Team Has You Flip-Flopping Your Opinion?http://athlonsports.com/college-basketball/weekly-tipoff-which-team-has-you-flip-flopping-your-opinion
<div class="field field-name-field-teaser field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Weekly Tipoff: Which Team Has You Flip-Flopping Your Opinion?</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <p>This regular season has been unusually unpredictable, especially when it comes to <strong><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2014/2/11/5401814/college-basketball-duke-kansas-louisville-kentucky-michigan-st" target="_blank">the top teams from back in November</a></strong>.<br /><br />Athlon Sports isn&rsquo;t above changing it&rsquo;s opinions based on more games and more of the season. For better or worse, three teams have caused us to recalibrate what we think of each program this season.<br /><br />We asked our editorial staff which teams, for better or worse, have caused them to change their opinions the most in the last few weeks.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Weekly Tipoff: Name a team that you have changed your opinion of (either good or bad) in the past few weeks.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/oklahoma-state-cowboys.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />David Fox: Oklahoma State</strong></span><br />I&rsquo;m going to steal the thunder of my colleagues and pick Oklahoma State. This stretch has been coming long before the Marcus Smart suspension. Even before the fateful shove in Lubbock, the Cowboys already were on the way to their fourth consecutive loss and fifth in six games. The Michael Cobbins injury set Oklahoma State back just as the Cowboys entered Big 12 play. The dismissal of backup point guard Stevie Clark essentially gave the Pokes as six-man rotation. In Big 12 play, Oklahoma State is middle of the pack in almost every way, but especially on the glass &mdash; the Cowboys are sixth in defensive rebound rate and eighth in offensive rebound rate. And now this team won&rsquo;t have Smart for two more games. Oklahoma State caught a break in Smart&rsquo;s first game out, facing Texas without its star forward Jonathan Holmes. Texas still won by 19. If Oklahoma State can&rsquo;t beat Oklahoma or Baylor without Smart, this team will be 4-9 in the Big 12 and 16-10 overall when Smart returns. That&rsquo;s a bubble team. A far cry from a team we thought could win the Big 12 title back in November.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><img alt="" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/31433-2/StJohns.jpg" style="width: 50px; height: 37px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Mitch Light: St. John&#39;s</strong></span><br />St. John&rsquo;s, left for dead after an 0&ndash;5 start in the Big East, is now looking like a team capable of winning a few games in the NCAA Tournament. Led by guard De&rsquo;Angelo Harrison, the Red Storm have won five of their last six league games, with the only loss coming by three points at Creighton on Jan. 28. On Sunday, Harrison scored 19 points and hit some key free throws late to secure a 70&ndash;65 win in the rematch with Creighton. With an RPI of 63 and only one win against a top-50 opponent, St. John&rsquo;s still has some work to do, but this team clearly has the talent to play its way into the NCAAs.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:16px;"><img alt="" src="http://i.athcdn.com.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/teams/college-football/logos/100x100/southern-methodist-mustangs.png" style="width: 50px; height: 50px; margin: 4px; float: right;" />Braden Gall: SMU</span></strong><br />This is a team that was picked in the middle of the pack in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs showed some progress early in the season but didn&rsquo;t exactly warrant much national attention. That, however, has changed. After beating both Memphis and Cincinnati at home in convincing fashion over the last two weeks, Larry Brown&rsquo;s team is now in the national rankings and appears headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993. The only five losses for SMU? At Louisville, at Cincinnati, at Arkansas, Virginia on a neutral court and at, <em>gulp</em>, South Florida. The loss to the Bulls is the only real head-scratcher, and the Mustangs are perfect at home at renovated Moody Coliseum. Rematches with UConn, Louisville and Memphis in the final two weeks could be for more than just seeding in the conference tourney.<br />&nbsp;</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-56 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Teams:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/oklahoma-state-cowboys">Oklahoma State Cowboys</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/st-johns-red-storm">St. John&#039;s Red Storm</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-teams/smu-mustangs">SMU Mustangs</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-55 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">CBK Conferences:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/category/cbk-conferences/big-east">Big East</a></div></div></div><div class="field-collection-container clearfix"><div class="field field-name-field-must-read-links field-type-field-collection field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Must Read Links:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"><div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links clearfix" class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-must-read-links">
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</div></div></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-exclude-from-feeds field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Exclude From Games:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Include In Games</div></div></div>Thu, 13 Feb 2014 12:00:56 +0000Athlon Sports57307 at http://athlonsports.com